Reflections on life in the global village

Earth Day: Lament for a baby spider

It was murdered a week ago today in a senseless act of violence by an elderly man who was visiting us with his wife. We were sitting outside on the deck when the man spotted the tiny spider on the patio table and said, “Oh look, a spider . . .” Then he squished it with his thumb.

I was shaken — silently. I wanted to scream at him: “Why did you kill it! It didn’t do anything to you! It posed no threat! Snuffing out its life served no useful purpose for you or mankind!”

I wanted to tell him that the spider’s life was no less significant than his, that it had as much right to live as he had, that it was animated by the same universal energy that animates us all . . .

Unfortunately there are some that think they have the right to do whatever they want wherever they go, without asking their host whether or not they approve. The elderly can be the worst culprits in this respect. My “step-mother” (well, she would have been if my father had bothered to marry her) blithely went about my son and daughter-in-law’s home spraying lavender oil without a “by your leave”. Fairly innocuous, compared to squishing an innocent spider, but my son and daughter-in-law thought it very rude.

If we don’t have the courage to speak up when we disapprove, they are not going to know, and will blithely do it again.